"Thousands of boxes of relief supplies from the Mormon Church are on their way to Macedonia to help Kosovo refugees. The 3,000 boxes were sent Wednesday by cargo plane to Macedonia for distribution by Mercy Corps, an international Christian relief agency. 'Each box contains basic staples,' said Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Dale Bills, adding that one box will sustain a family of four for a week. The containers hold food, cleaning supplies and items for personal hygiene. Bills said 300 volunteers from the Sandy area helped pack the boxes Tuesday night. The Mormon Church has only 100 members in the Yugoslav Federation. "

"LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Saturday condemned those inflicting an escalating wave of bloodshed and misery upon Kosovo, vowing to aid refugees fleeing the war-torn Yugoslavian province... The LDS Church, already enjoying a reputation for its aid contributions to the victims of floods and earthquakes, was preparing seven 40-foot containers packed with 200,000 pounds of clothing and blankets for Kosovar refugees, spokesman Dale Bills said... The goods will be shipped through Greece to Skopje, Macedonia, where a Christian relief agency, Mercy Corps, will distribute them. The church has just 100 members in the former Yugoslavia. "

Decoo, William. "Issues in Writing European History and in Building the Church in Europe " in Journal of Mormon History (Spring 1997); pg. 164.

"...1996 estimated Church membership in Western Europe... 347,000 members represent 0.09 percent of the total population... about one out of four members is active. Our effective membership in Europe... about 87,000 or 0.02 percent. " [includes UK]; [Official LDS estimate definition of activity is attendance of at least one sacrament meeting per month, a stricter definition than the once per year definition used in many Protestant, Anglican, & Catholic statistics.]

"President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed 42,000 Church members in Mexico City and an additional 12,000 in Puebla, Mexico, Nov. 8-13, 1997. On the trip he met with Mexico's president, Dr. Ernesto Zedillo. "

"The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates about 40% of residents are active Mormons. " [NOTE: Other sources indicate just under 50% of SLC residents are LDS. This 40% figure would mean that 80% of LDS in SLC are active. Official LDS estimate definition of activity is attendance of at least one sacrament meeting per month, a stricter definition than the once per year definition used in many Protestant, Anglican, & Catholic statistics.]

"This is not to say that all Latter-day Saints are dedicated... Some adults of both sexes are only moderately active [in the Church], and others (called Jack Mormons) are inactive. But somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of LDS members not only are active, they are hyperactive. This participatory involvement--this hyperactivity--is one of the distinguishing marks of Mormonism. "; Pg. 276: "Today, total membership exceeds 8 million... " [8 million * 2/3 = 5,328,000]

"The same avenues of growth are open to other groups but are seldom used in conjunction with one another. The Old Order Amish and the Hasidim [Jews], for instance, have exceptionally high birthrates, but their conversion figures are near zero. True, not all LDS members are active, but the ratio of active to inactive is probably higher than in most denominations. "

"A rough estimate would place the number of Church members with African roots at year-end 1997 at half a million, with about 100,000 each in Africa and the Caribbean, and another 300,000 in Brazil. "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - black

world

100,000

-

-

-

2000

*LINK* Mims, Bob. "AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES IN UTAH: They Have Come a Long Way Since Trek With Mormon Wagon Train " in Salt Lake Tribune (12 Feb 2000)

"Darius Gray echoed the sentiment. The self-described 'grandson of a slave' leads Genesis, an African-American branch of the LDS Church. Black membership has grown from 300-400 worldwide to more than 100,000 since the church lifted its ban on priesthood for African males in 1978. "

"among the ranks of 'born-again Christians'... some 26% of Mormons say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, believing that salvation is theirs by virtue of having 'confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior'... 'Mormons are more likely to accept the total accuracy of Scripture than were typical Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans or Presbyterians. They were also more likely to hold an orthodox biblical view of God, to have a sense of personal responsibility to evangelize, to believe that Satan is real... By contrast less than half of all Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians & Lutherans were found to be 'absolutely committed' to the Christian faith...' "

"In the United States and Canada, the Church operates 91 canneries, with additional canneries worldwide. Canneries in the U.S. and Canada were used in 1996 to package about seven million pounds of food. In 1997 canery usage increased 34% to 9,272,000 pounds, and 1998 saw a dramatic increase of 180% to 25,986,000 total pounds... Community organizations and groups from other religions sometimes use Church cannery facilities. For example, once a year, in Sacrament, California, about 50 volunteers from the Woodland Ecumenical Ministries spends a Saturday at the local Church cannery making 5,000 cans of applesauce... 'Its unbelievable what this humanitarian project, now in its fifth year, is doing to change people's attitudes toward Mormons,' said William Marble, president of the Davis California Stake, who was elected as president of the Sacramento interfaith group, in which seven other Christian organizations also participate. "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - canneries

world

-

-

65units

-

1943

Hartley, William G. "The Church Grows in Strength " in Ensign, Sept. 1999; pg. 38.

"The Church met its... goal--to provide food, clothing and shelter for every LDS member in need... By late 1943 the Church was operating 90 bishops' storehouses, 65 canneries, 598 livestock projects, and 324 manufacturing and processing plants, and had 14,578 acres under cultivation. "

"Several Church leaders, some Brigham Young University professors, and other Latter-day Saints participated in the second World Congress of Families held 14-17 November at the United Nations complex in Geneva, Switzerland... The congress was cosponsored by a BYU-based organization called the World Family Policy Center... Involving some 1,575 leaders representing 45 nations and more than 200 pro-family organizations, the congress unanimously called on 'all persons, families, social organizations, and governments throughout the world to respect and uphold the institution of the natural human family.' "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - institutes and seminaries

"The first LDS meetinghouses in two countries were dedicated in Athens, Greece, on May 30, 1999, and in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on June 6, 1999. "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - meetinghouses

Mongolia

-

-

1unit

-

1999

"LDS Scene " in Ensign, Oct. 1999; pg. 79.

"A building located in the center of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, has been renovated as Mongolia's first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse. More than 650 people attended two dedicatory sessions for the new facility... With a foundation dating to 1890, the building is a well-known landmark that has previously housed an art and design center, bank and government offices, and a children's cinema and has been featured in magazines and on postage stamps. "

*LINK* Campbell, Joel. "Nauvoo: Top of Utah residents help to spread the word " in Ogden Standard-Examiner (viewed online on StandardNET, 19 June 1999).

"Like some 150 missionary guides and restoration workers, Perry and her husband, Rodney, left a life of retirement in Roy to accept a call from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve in Nauvoo. Unlike missions, which require taking LDS doctrine door-to-door, these volunteers give this one-time bustling Mormon settlement new life as tour guides, sharing historical interpretation, crafts and stories of faith. Last year an estimated 200,000 visited Nauvoo last year. Now, with the recent announcement that the LDS Church will rebuild the Nauvoo Temple, tour guides are bracing for even more tourists this summer. "

"Currently seven missions are established in Texas, with headquarters in Houston, Kingwood, Sugar Land, Dallas, Ft. Worth, McAllen and San Antonio. Some 1,200 full-time missionaries, most of ages 19-23, are assigned in the state, serving up to two years without financial remuneration. "

"Profile of the Church in 1900s: 1900... Total missionaries serving: 796 "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - missionaries

world

30,000

-

-

-

1980

Stark, Rodney. "The Rise of a New World Faith " in Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members, edited by James T. Duke. Religious Studies Center, BYU: Provo, UT (1998); pg. 14.

"In 1980 there were thirty thousand Mormons on full-time missions. "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - missionaries

world

30,000

-

-

-

1981

Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 425.

"CURRENT MEMBERSHIP: At the close of 1989, the church reported 7.3 million members in over 17,305 congregations worldwide. The church is now organized in 128 nations and territories and has over 40,000 full-time missionaries serving in 228 missions around the world. "

"Some 37,000 young Mormons currently serve as full-time missionaries throughout the world without compensation; they devote 18 months to two years to spreading the teaching of their church at home and abroad. Only about 100 persons in full-time leadership receive a salary or living allowance. "

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - missionaries

world

30,000

-

-

115 countries

1990

Naisbitt, John & Patricia Aburdene. Megatrends 2000: Ten New Directions for the 1990's. New York: William Morrow and Co. (1990); pg. 279.

"There are 30,000 college-age [LDS] missionaries--more than any other U.S. denomination--in ninety-five countries and twenty territories. In 1987 they gained more adherents than any other year in their history.

"Statistics from the Interfaith Witness Department indicate that last year there were 42,000 Mormon missionaries actively propagating their faith. Over the same time period 285 Southern Baptists a week were converted to this sect. "; Correction printed Issue 5: Summer 1991: "This statistic was quoted in a report delivered by a representative of the IWD to the Royal Palm Baptist Association's annual meeting in Ft. Myers, FL, on October 16, 1990. However, Gary Leazer... Director of the IWD, has informed the Founders Journal that this statistic is without factual documentation. The rumor has been spread for several years and should not have been perpetuated by one of the IWD's associates. We sincerely regret publishing this claim. " [In actuality, the majority of converts to the LDS Church are non-practicing cultural Christians, not active members of a different Christian denomination.]

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